The United States Government has listed 20 of Nigerian states as unsafe and asked its citizens living in the country to stay away from them.
The government cited Borno, Adamawa and Yobe as a complete no-go area saying “the ability of the US Mission to provide assistance to US citizens” in those states remains severely limited.
Members of the Boko Haram Islamic sect recently renewed attacks in Borno State, while Fulani herdsmen have scaled up killing of villagers and farmers in Adamawa State.
The travel warning, published on Wednesday, replaced an earlier one dated February 5, 2016.
The Department of State also “recommends against all but essential travel to the following states due to the risk of kidnappings, robberies, and other armed attacks:
The States are:
Borno
Adamawa
Yobe
– the first three as no-go area
Bauchi,
Bayelsa,
Delta,
Edo,
Gombe,
Imo,
Jigawa,
Kaduna,
Kano,
Katsina,
Kebbi,
Kogi,
Niger,
Plateau,
Rivers,
Sokoto,
and Zamfara.
The statement particularly urged vigilance around government security facilities; churches, mosques, other places of worship; locations where large crowds may gather such as hotels, clubs, bars, restaurants, markets, shopping malls; and other areas frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers.
The Department of State noted that kidnappings remained a security concern throughout Nigeria, as criminal elements across the country orchestrated kidnappings for ransom; Islamic extremists, operating predominantly in the North, also have been known to conduct kidnappings.
Criminals or militants have abducted foreign nationals, including U.S. citizens, from off-shore and land-based oil facilities, residential compounds, airports, and public roadways.
